Scale Your Business With Data with Crawford McMillan
Scale Your Business With Data with Crawford McMillan
Podcast Description
The Scale Your Business with Data podcast is the no-fluff guide for leaders who know there’s money buried in their data but need a proven map to dig it up—fast.
Hosted by Graham Crawford (co-founder of Crawford MacMillan and longtime “data whisperer” for high-growth teams), each weekly episode distills decades of front-line experience into conversations you can act on immediately. Forget buzzwords and theoretical frameworks; this show zeroes in on the real-world moves that turn:
- Chaotic spreadsheets into clear signals, so you see which levers actually drive revenue, margin, and customer loyalty.
-Everyday metrics into decision intelligence, so you stop debating dashboards and start reallocating budgets, products, and people with confidence.
-Expensive AI hype into practical advantage, learn how to define and govern data first, then layer automation without sacrificing explainability or control.
-“Hope” strategies into repeatable playbooks—so multi-million-dollar calls happen in minutes, not months.
Whether you’re scaling a startup, steering a Fortune-500 unit, or simply tired of dashboards that look good but do nothing, you’ll walk away each week with:
-Actionable insights you can deploy before the next meeting.
-Battle-tested stories that de-risk your own transformation.
-A clearer mental model for leading people, processes, and technology around data—not the other way around.
-No jargon, no ivory-tower theory—just candid talk, unexpected analogies, and an unwavering focus on value creation.
Subscribe today and join a community that turns hidden numbers into breakout growth.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores a range of topics focused on data strategy, decision intelligence, and AI implementation. Episodes cover practical aspects such as transforming chaotic spreadsheets into clear signals for revenue growth, optimizing corporate KPIs, and utilizing data for effective decision-making. For instance, one episode features Nick White discussing how data strategy can bridge the gap between data collection and actionable insights, enhancing business performance.

Private equity meets data. Conversations with deal teams, operating partners, and portfolio company leaders about the data problems that kill deals, slow exits, and destroy value.
Hosted by Graeme Crawford, founder of Crawford McMillan. 20 years leading data programs at Fortune 100 companies. Now helping PE-backed companies fix data before exits so the numbers hold up under scrutiny.
New episodes cover diligence red flags, value creation playbooks, and the real stories behind successful (and failed) transactions.
We covered why the Rolodex only approach keeps failing, how to write job descriptions that pull in the right people, and what private equity teams can do to build discretionary effort after an acquisition. Frank also shared a simple metric that too many teams ignore: quality of hire, measured early and consistently, not months later when everyone is already frustrated. The theme that stuck with me was clarity.
Chapters:
- 00:04 – Acquiring Candidates: A Sales Funnel Approach
- 04:39 – The Importance of Effective Recruiting
- 07:52 – Understanding Onboarding and Probation Periods
- 15:56 – The Seven Deadly Sins of Recruiting
- 24:53 – The Seven Deadly Recruitment Sins
- 32:36 – The Intersection of Dating and Recruitment
- 38:30 – Transitioning to Discretionary Effort in Private Equity
- 45:42 – Navigating Leadership and Clarity in Private Equity
Companies Mentioned
IBM
Capital One
Indeed
Canva
Websites Mentioned
Guest Information
Frank Lofaro runs Tank Recruiting and helps companies build a recruiting operating system, not just fill a single role. Their process focuses on qualification, amplification, evaluation, and closing so teams can hire faster and reduce reliance on placement fees.
Brief Takeaways
Quality of hire needs an early signal. Weekly red yellow green feedback prevents surprise failures at month six. Job descriptions work better when they lead with the role’s pull, the results expected, and a clear picture of success.

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